BRIDGEPORT — The protesters, dressed in black, filed quietly into the municipal conference room this week where the police commission met.

Members of the “Justice for Jayson Coalition” — inspired by Jayson Negron, the 15-year-old shot and killed by a rookie cop in May 2016 — has been consistently pushing for changes to policing Connecticut’s largest city, as have other critics.

One such suggested change is close to fizzling out.

Late last year, Mayor Joe Ganim renominated four current members to the civilian commission that provides guidelines for the police department and has some disciplinary power.

Critics who believe the existing police commission is not proactive enough and too friendly with Ganim and his close friend, Police Chief Armando Perez, said they saw an opportunity: reject the mayor’s picks and find newer faces.

But recently, the City Council approved three of the mayor’s nominees: Matthew Cumminotto, Thomas Lyons and Edwin Farrow.

Callie Heilmann, whose Bridgeport Generation Now civic group has wanted the police commission to provide tougher oversight of Bridgeport’s Finest, admitted not enough of an effort was made these past seven months to pressure the council to vote down Ganim’s choices.

The approval of the fourth and perhaps most controversial renomination — Daniel Roach, a Ganim friend and aide who has been a commission member for two decades — is still pending at the committee level.

Heilmann noted that changes on the commission could have started at the top in City Hall.

“Clearly the mayor’s office was not interested or they could have put forward new appointments,” Heilmann said.

Roach, Lyons and Cumminotto have all been serving long-expired terms. Roach’s ended in 2005, Lyons’ in 2010 and Cumminotto’s in 2015. In Bridgeport they legally remain on the police commission until reappointed or replaced.

Farrow's term expired in December.

City Council President Aidee Nieves said it has been hard to recruit new people to serve on Bridgeport’s various boards and commissions, and she was unaware of any freshman candidates who wanted to specifically join the police commission.

”Being a police commissioner is really hard, especially in the climate we’re in now," Nieves said.

The homemade signs the Justice for Jayson Coalition carried this week told that story. Some referred to Negron specifically, others to more recent incidents involving the videotaped punching of a teenager by an officer, a police chase that ended with a teenage driver dead, and the Tasing of a councilwoman’s 15-year-old son.

“Stop Chasing, Shooting, Tasing, Beating Us,” summed up one of the signs.

The police commission has the ability to discipline officers targeted by civilian complaints if those cops are found guilty by an internal affairs investigation. According to the city charter, the commission also establishes department goals, policies and objectives; reviews and approves rules/regulations recommended by the chief; conducts periodic reviews of the department; and advises the mayor, council and chief.

Police commission appointments are first reviewed by the council’s public safety committee before being forwarded to the full, 20-person council for a final vote. According to meeting minutes, Cumminotto, Farrow and Lyons were subjected to lengthy questioning in June by the public safety committee.

Councilman Ernest Newton, for example, told them he “has not heard or seen the police commission say anything when things such as shootings and/or police officers being disrespectful to the public are happening in the city.”

Still, all three were approved by the committee and a majority of the full council.

Councilman Kyle Langan also participated in the public safety committee’s interviews. Since he had hired Farrow as his lawyer, he recused himself from voting on his re-appointment.

Langan said this week he had hoped to see some turnover on the commission, but failed to convince his colleagues. He said at the very least the council took the opportunity to examine the candidates.

”I’m inquisitive as to why Mr. Roach hasn’t come before us yet when his three other colleagues have," Langan added.

Roach said a scheduling conflict kept him from the June public safety meeting and his interview would be rescheduled.

”So it’s (the renomination) still moving forward. It’s just a delay on my end,” Roach said, adding: "I’m interested in continuing. It's a good board we have now — probably the best functioning board that we’ve ever had.”

Roach could have a rougher time because he has been a police commissioner for 20 years. Some council members like Newton have suggested establishing term limits.

Heilmann said she planned to try to organize against Roach’s reappointment.

”The commission needs new blood and people not connected politically,” she said.